Diplomatic Appointments

September 20, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today announced the following diplomatic appointments:

Mark Bailey becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Austria, with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna.

Michael Grant becomes Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, in New York City.

Christopher Thornley becomes High Commissioner in the Republic of Ghana, with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to the Togolese Republic.

Biographical notes on the appointees follow.

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Biographical Notes

Mark Bailey (BA Honours [Political Science], University of Victoria, 1973) joined the Department of External Affairs in 1973. In Ottawa, Mr. Bailey has served in the Personnel Operations Division, as desk officer for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as deputy director of investment policy and financial affairs, and as director of the International Financial and Investment Affairs Division. He has also worked as director of the Maghreb and Arabian Peninsula Division, director of the Assignments Division and director general of the Middle East and North Africa Bureau. Mr. Bailey has served abroad in New York City; Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Geneva, Switzerland; and Washington, D.C. In addition, Mr. Bailey has been posted as ambassador to Morocco, ambassador to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, with non-resident accreditation to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan. In January 2012, Mr. Bailey was named special adviser on Iran and Syria. Most recently, he was director general of the Middle East Bureau. Mr. Bailey replaces John Barrett.

Michael Grant (BA [Administration], Concordia University, 1992) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1994. In Ottawa, Mr. Grant has held positions in the Central and Eastern Europe, G-7 and Middle East divisions and as Middle East analyst with the Privy Council Office. More recently, he was director of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada’s Middle East Division and director general of International Security Policy with the Department of National Defence. Mr. Grant has served abroad in Serbia, Turkey, Argentina and Mexico. In 2012, he became ambassador to Libya. Mr. Grant is married to Heidi Kutz, and they have two children, Samuel and Benjamin. Mr. Grant succeeds Gilles Rivard.

Christopher Thornley (BA, University of Victoria, 1983; MPA, Dalhousie University, 1985) was the manager of the World Trade Centre Halifax, a Crown corporation in Nova Scotia, before joining External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1990. In Ottawa, he has served as a desk officer in the areas of international business development and trade policy, as deputy director for the Trade Commissioner Service and for the India and South Asia divisions, and as director of the Southeast Asia and Pacific and the Assignments divisions. He has also served at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as director in the International Markets Bureau and acting director general of the Operations Bureau in the Market and Industry Services Branch. Mr. Thornley has served abroad in Stockholm, Boston and Dubai. Most recently, Mr. Thornley was ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines. He is married to Catherine and has two sons, Stuart and Jack. Mr. Thornley replaces Trudy Kernighan.